Loyalty to a former boss is certainly commendable, but for columnist Steve Smith to compare Dr. Laura Schlessinger's recent "eleven n-word rant" to that of the legendary social critic and humorist Lenny Bruce boggles the imagination ("City Life: Another lesson learned," Aug. 17). Superficially there is a relationship, because Lenny was given to including all the racial epithets in his shtick — we found a Dustin Hoffman rendition of the famous and profane Lenny doing stand-up on YouTube — with the express and stated purpose of softening their sting.

A set of Corona del Mar triplets who are frequently seen about town in matching outfits with matching long blonde hair are the stars of a runaway hit "Swagger Wagon" series of advertisements.
Sienna, Jaden and Tegan Brown, 4 1/2 years old, star in the...

Wireless antenna company NextG Networks has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Newport Beach to try and force the city to allow five of the company's antenna poles to stand on East Coast Highway.
In the lawsuit filed last week in federal court...

A puff piece published by the Daily Pilot about John Wayne Airport ("New feather in John Wayne's cap," Aug. 22) needed a more objective view. What it did not need was an "atta boy" attitude. John Wayne Airport (JWA) has a well-paid public relations...

NEWPORT BEACH — When she grows up, Piper Hunt's parents one day will have to tell her the story behind her birth certificate. It doesn't read like most.
Delivered by: Steve Martin. Place of birth: Pacific Coast Highway and Dover Drive in Newport...

HAWTHORNE — "Snow" fell on John Wayne Airport runways on Friday morning.
OK, it was simulated snow, part of an air traffic control simulator demonstration by JWA airport control tower support specialist Joe Santoro.
The hypothetical situation created by a high-tech simulator is used to train controllers, preparing them for any scenario they might face in the real world, including the unlikely event of a winter dusting at JWA.
"We can create any kind of emergency, special operation or procedure...

For UC Irvine graduate student David Weinreich, not driving in Irvine has always been a no-brainer.
Weinreich must rely on a bike or a bus to get from A to B instead of driving himself. He cannot get behind the wheel, as he is an epileptic and could have a seizure.
Weinreich, who is pursuing a master's degree in urban and regional planning, became involved in the issue of local public transportation when the Orange County Transportation Authority cut 150,000 bus hours in March.
He regularly attended...

COSTA MESA — A Costa Mesa man was hospitalized in Northern California after he fought off a police K-9 dog that chased him into a forest while evading police, California Highway Patrol officials said Friday.
Garrett Frank Merlino, 46, was arrested Aug. 29 in Laytonville after allegedly leading police on a high-speed pursuit on northbound Highway 101 in Mendocino County.
According to a recount of the incident by the CHP, a Mendocino County sheriff's deputy tried to pull Merlino over on the...

A Newport Beach man was hospitalized in stable condition after he was hit by an SUV while running across the Hollywood (101) Freeway in Los Angeles early Sunday morning.
The accident happened near Barham Boulevard, southeast of Universal Studios Hollywood.
The 31-year-old man was running east across the freeway when he was hit by a Ford Explorer driven by 33-year-old Canoga Park woman.
Neither of their names has been released.
Investigators are trying to determine what the man was doing on the...

Some John Wayne Airport passengers are getting a post-Christmas lump of coal. Airlines canceled a handful of flights Monday and delays persist, as the nation's air travel system recovered from a blizzard on the East Coast.
On Monday, Continental Airlines cancelled its 7:45 a.m. and 4 p.m. departures to Newark Liberty International Airport, along with three afternoon arrivals coming from Newark.
Delta Airlines canceled its 11:55 a.m. arrival from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and its...

COSTA MESA — A man shot and killed himself in the parking lot of a local gun shop on Newport Boulevard on Sunday, Costa Mesa police confirmed Monday.
Ezra Fee, 34, who had a history of run-ins with the law, shot himself in his truck that was parked at the Grant Boys, 1750 Newport Blvd., said Lt. Rob Sharpnack.
A police officer patrolling the area about 4:30 p.m. heard a gunshot and screams coming from the Grant Boys' parking lot. After calling for backup, the officer then approached the Dodge...

COSTA MESA — Never underestimate the speed of light — or the properties of grass and vegetables.
A biofuel made from sorghum and sugar beets helped propel Orange Coast College aviation instructor Richard "Smokey" Young, 50, of Chino Hills, to a new world record, where he was clocked at more than 260 mph in a piston-fired aircraft at the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal, southeast of Palm Springs, over the weekend.
"I think it was really neat getting the opportunity to do...